RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATHEMATICS BELIEFS AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN MATHEMATICS AS MEDIATED BY CREATIVE SELF-EFFICACY

Abstract

In this study, there are three factors that affect the Mathematics performance of the students: Mathematics Beliefs, Student Engagement in Mathematics, and Creative Self-Efficacy. These factors may have significant direct effect on how a student transfers knowledge. Moreover, this study was conducted to determine that Creative Self-Efficacy can be a mediator of Mathematics Beliefs and Student Engagement in Mathematics. Descriptive-correlational research method was used to describe the relationship of Student Engagement in Mathematics and Mathematics Beliefs, mediated by Creative Self-Efficacy. The study included the 237 first year students who were randomly selected. These students completed the Student Engagement in Mathematics Questionnaire (SEMQ), Mathematics Beliefs Scale (MBS) and Creative self-efficacy Questionnaire (CSEQ). The test of hypothesis and significance were done using the program Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 and Microsoft Excel. This study concluded that there is no significant relationship between Student Engagement in Mathematics and creative Self-efficacy, Student Engagement in Mathematics and Mathematics Beliefs, and Creative Self-efficacy and Mathematics Beliefs. Hence, Creative Self-efficacy is not a mediator between the relationship of Student Engagement in Mathematics and Mathematics Beliefs. KEYWORDS: mathematics beliefs, student engagement and creative self-efficacy.